🤨 My AI Skeptic Friends Are All Nuts

Hey everybody,

In this week’s roundup: a sharp critique of AI skepticism in dev circles, a look back at Java’s surprising 30-year journey, and a hands-on guide to meta prompting.

Plus: the difference between being useful and being valued at work, and why Lean Software Development might have it all wrong.

Let’s dive in!

Quick Links

🤨 My AI Skeptic Friends Are All Nuts
LLMs aren’t the future of programming, they’re the messy, chaotic, kind-of-amazing present. This isn’t another breathless hype post or some “AGI will save us” nonsense. It’s just one dev calling out the weird gap between what these tools can actually do and how stubbornly people refuse to see it. You don’t have to like AI. But pretending it’s not changing how we write code? That’s unserious.

☕️ Java at 30: How a misfire made history
Java just turned 30, and its story is anything but ordinary. Originally built for a futuristic handheld device that never took off, the language outlived the hardware, and then some. From embedded systems to powering the enterprise web, Java evolved into one of the most widely used languages on the planet.

✍️ A Complete Guide to Meta Prompting
Meta prompting flips the script. Instead of writing every prompt from scratch, you use LLMs to help generate and refine them. Just like AI helps writers break past blank pages, it helps prompt engineers build better, faster.

This recursive method, using prompts to build prompts, is called meta prompting, and it’s quickly becoming a game-changer. This full guide walks you through how to do it.

🤔 If you are useful, it doesn’t mean you are valued
Being useful gets you tasks. Being valued gets you trust. Early signs, like raises or bonuses, can blur the line, but they’re not the whole story. When you're useful, you’re the go-to executor. Efficient, reliable, essential, but replaceable. When you're valued, you help shape direction, not just follow orders. You’re in the room when it matters.

🏃 Why I Think Lean Software Development is Wrong
Why are GUIs built 2.5 times? And what if Lean Software Development got the entire model of software wrong? In this refreshingly honest and deeply thoughtful piece, Patricia Aas untangles why building software isn't like running a factory. because we’re not the workers on the line… we’re the ones designing the line. She challenges the idea that software development should mimic manufacturing, and instead reframes it as an iterative process of discovery, experimentation, and feedback.

Unlock the Ultimate ChatGPT Toolkit

Struggling to leverage AI for real productivity gains? Mindstream has created a comprehensive ChatGPT bundle specifically for busy professionals.

Inside you'll find 5 battle-tested resources: decision frameworks, advanced prompt templates, and our exclusive 2025 AI implementation guide. These are the exact tools our 180,000+ subscribers use to automate tasks and streamline workflows.

Subscribe to our free daily AI newsletter and get immediate access to this high-value bundle.

Click here to claim your free bundle

More Reading

• Why DeepSeek is cheap at scale but expensive to run locally.

• Absurd.website creates an abdsurd web dev project every month, it seems like a very fun way to build a unique portfolio.

• IRS open-sourced its Direct File software and it is pretty great.

• Thrive in obscurity.

• OAuth provider library for Cloudflare Workers.

• Progressive JSON.

• DNS Does Not Have to be Hard.

LLMs in Tech Interviews? Here’s Why It Might Happen

Should we be allowed to use AI or LLMs during coding interviews?

Of course not, right?

Well, let's rethink where the future is headed. This may just be a reality before too long.

We'll discuss it in this video. I think you'll be surprised.

Until next week,

Travis.